Liberal Democrat IT Online Policy Consultation

The Government’s Use of IT

What can be done to ensure that there is healthy competition for government contracts, both to keep costs down and to reduce dependency on any one supplier? Should large contracts be divided into smaller projects? What kind of bidding procedure should be used?

Should there be a requirement for government tenders to investigate open source options?

Should there be a preference in government procurement to give contracts to SMEs?

Should there be independent checks on the feasibility of projects and realistic timelines? At what stage should this assessment be obtained?

What system should be in place to assess legislation which may require the use of IT or major changes in IT systems?

Should all government services be online? What should be the ultimate goal in providing services online?

One Response to “The Government’s Use of IT”

I think the government has put too much store in large IT service providers and not made best use of smaller expert providers. I have been staggered at some of the foul ups over the years and the excuses that follow them. When you consider that Facebook has over a billion users there is no reason why a large ssystem cound not be devised to cover all government needs. Why does government insist on having large and expensive companies such as Serco and Accenture when facebook was devised and developed by two young men at university.

It is intensly irritating to have to keep supplying the same information to numerous government departments. A prime example is that the DWP and the Inland Revenue do not talk to each other. Why do people have to apply for benefits and provide proof or earnings when the tax office already have this information.

My biggest gripe is that people who have internet access have to visit the job centre to sign on. Why can they not have a job seeker account where they can record all the jobs they apply for? This would free up DWP staff to work with those who are just not making the effort. This system could be linked in with existing job search websites so as people make job applications they could also register it on their job seeker account. This would particularly benefit people who have a small occupational pension and are really only required to sign on to cover their NI payments. Given that travel to a Job Centre on public transport can cost in excess of £5 this would be a positive for the claiment as well as the government.

I personally would like to see all government services available via the Internet. The call centres are impersonal and often the advisor simply refers you to another number because they don’t know the answer.